False Positives Forum

This forum is intended to help those who Do NOT Abuse Drugs. We do NOT support the illegal use of any substance. If you have experience with false positives, share your experience. What would you tell someone about drug testing and false positives? Please remember that we do not give medical or legal advice.

Subj: False Positive Urine Test listDate: 3/22/2010Has your False Positive Urine Test list been updated since 12/08? If so where is it loicated?
Robert

AskDocWeb: Yes, the list on this page is updated as new information is received.

Subj: ETG testingDate: 3/26/2010I take ETG testing 3 to 5 times a week and had an ETG level of 252 and took a polygraph and passed I HAD NOT DRANK! I recently had another on even higher than 252 and I am really careful about what I drink, eat, and hygeine products. How in the hell did I get another false positive? Could it be high sugar intake? What could explain this? I swear I havent drank what could explain this? I have gotta know I have a doctors appointment to see if my liver is damaged from past extensive drinking?
Richard

AskDocWeb: Alcohol is easily absorbed through the skin from products like hand sanitizers, hairspray, and skin creams. It can also be inhaled or absorbed from mouthwash. The number of false positives with the ETG test is beginning to be recognized. In California they have raised the positive level to 650. You may want to check out class action lawsuits related to ETG testing. These are going on in several states.

Subj: Kratom?Date: 3/27/2010What's your insight on kratom? Will kratom show up as a false positive or even positive on a drug test? How many days will kratom stay in your system urine and blood?
Ken

AskDocWeb: The effects of kratom are reported to be short-lived, typically fading after a few hours. How long it stays in your system or may be detectable is not known. In researching this we found several reports of false positives caused by kratom but none that could be used as a reference. You should be aware that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has added Kratom to their list of drugs and chemicals of concern. That list indicates that the DEA has noticed the existence of a substance and has come to believe that it may be a problem. It is also a good indication that it is likely to be scheduled as a controlled substance in the U.S. at some future date.

Subj: Tested positive for marijuanaDate: 3/29/2010I currently take the following: vitB-super complex, vitC, vitD3 (seasonal), E400 (occasional), DHEA, Biotin, Melatonin, Claritin, Echinacea (as needed), Airborne (as needed), Ibuprofen/Aleve, LIPO-6 Black, Welbutrin Xl, Adderall XR. I tested positive for marijuana according to my probation officer. What advice do you have for me? I just typed up a complete list of all used vit/min/supps to give her - the combined usage of all of those drugs could create even extremely high THC false-positive numbers couldn't they.. I see the mass spec/GM test is an option: would this actually be able to distinguish all of the above from cannabis false-positive?
Spencer

AskDocWeb: Yes, the GC/MS confirmation test is designed to identify exactly what you have in your system.

Subj: False positive for methadoneDate: 3/30/2010False/Positive for Methadone. I am in pain management and was drug tested. I'm on hydros and xanax. I was dropped from my doctor for methadone showing up causing me to fail my drug test. I have know idea what methadone even is, let alone have I ever taken it. It has since been straightened out and the lab did a more extensive test and confirmed to my doc that I did not take methadone so he has taken me back as a patient but what could have caused this? I had a bad respiratory infection and had been on numerous OTC cold/allergy meds at the time I took the urine test, could one of these have caused it? I would like to know because if this happens again, I want to have the needed info to fight it. This time I won my battle, but it was a month long hassle that involved the help of an attorney and I'd rather not go through this again. Any help is great appreciated. Thanks a bunch in advance.
Tara

AskDocWeb: If by hydros you mean hydrocodone, that contains synthetic opiates which has caused problems with some urine drug screens. Of course methadone also contains synthetic opiates so it's easy to see how that could be confused. Cold remedies that contain dextromethorphan have also been reported to show up as a positive for opiates (Reference 21).

Subj: ProtonixDate: 3/30/2010I take Protonix - twice a day. Yesterday I failed a drug test at work. They said it read positive for THC - I have never smoked marijuana in my life - when they send the sample off to the lab, will they be able to clarify and verify that it is the Protonix and not an illicit drug?
Angela

AskDocWeb: Yes, that is the purpose of the confirmation test, to identify exactly what is in the sample.

Subj: Tested positive for amphetaminesDate: 3/30/2010I'm in a methadone clinic program and I have to get a pee test every month, well this time i tested positive for amphetamines. I have not taken anything except cold meds and sinus pills, different kinds through out a period of several weeks. How can i prove thats what this is, or how can they check it again to see what it is. I also want to know why these things cause false positives.
Jackie

AskDocWeb: The initial test is not perfect and sometimes produces false positives because of the similarity of the molecular structure between what being testing for and other substances (legal ones). It is only an indicator of the possible presence of a drug. The result needs to be confirmed by a GC/MS test. This is often referred to as "additional testing" when they send the original sample out to an independent lab. A small amount of the sample is vaporized and a spectral analysis is performed on the resulting gas. The results of the GC/MS confirmation test are so accurate that they are allowed as evidence in a court of law, the results of the initial urine drug screen are not.

AskDocWeb: Baclofen, a skeletal muscle relaxer, has not been reported to show up on urine drug screens. It is sold under the brand names Kemstro and Lioresal but is also available in generic.

Subj: Nordiazepam, Oxazepam, and TemazepamDate: 3/31/2010I take Roxicodone 30mg, and Xanax, which was changed to Valium right around the time of my drug screen. I was given Halcion by my oral surgeon (5 pills) prior to my surgery and a few days later I tested negative for Opiates (I thought that should be positive due to the Oxycodone) and POSITIVE for Benzodiazepine - the GC/MS showed Nordiazepam 534 / Oxazepam 6000 and Temazepam 3056. I did NOT take anything besides my prescribed meds and the Halcion on the day of my oral surgery. I understand that the Halcion could show as Benzodiazepine but where do the Nordizaepam Oxazepam and Temazepam come from??? I can't find any written proof Halcion would produce those 3.
Diane

Subj: DiphenhydramineDate: 4/1/2010Diphenhydramine causes false positive urinalysis results for methadone. It happened to me, and I was dismissed from my pain management doctor's practice. I had never before taken methadone, but I did take Benadryl the previous night, the only medicine of any kind (other than the Lortab I was prescribed) I had taken in over a week. I later learned (from the website of the test-administering company -- Ameritox) that diphenhydramine has an 8% (one in 12.5) false positive rate. That information has since been removed from Ameritox's website.

I cannot begin to describe the difficulty this false positive caused. In addition to being forced into painful (both physically and emotionally) withdrawal, I had a Top Secret security clearance at the time, and this false positive jeopardized both my clearance and, by extension, my career. Needless to say, I immediately provided another sample, which was negative. There is only one way an individual can truly know that such a result is false, and it was most definitely false. I would hate for this to happen to anyone else. Sincerely,
Ted

AskDocWeb: Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) has been reported to show up as false positives for Benzodiazepines, PCP, and Tricyclic Antidepressants 2-4 days after a single use. (Reference 45).

Subj: Crime labDate: 4/1/2010I am on probation and was asked to give a UA yesterday, to which I did not hesitate. I have prescription hydrocodone and skelaxin. Within the 3 days prior I had taken about 8 7.5 hydrocodones and 3 skelaxin. My probation officer knows I am hydrocodone and skelaxin. It was a different looking test (cup with 2 lines that tested multiple panels)...anyways, it tested positive for opiates and oxy she said. She then told me she would send it off to crime lab to be analyzed. I don't take oxy and am a little stressed over this. I also take a twice daily multivitamins every day along with 6 capsules of a metabolic synergy blend (lots of b-vitamins, taurine, green tea, alpha lipoic acid, etc. in the capsules). Will multivitamins have an adverse effect on UAs and can crime lab tell the difference between hydrocodone and oxy? I don't want my probation officer to think I am on something that I'm not.
Phil

AskDocWeb: Don't worry, the crime lab will most likely use one of the spectral analysis methods (GC-MS) to reveal exactly what is in the sample. Multivitamins have not been reported to cause any problems on urine drug screens.

Subj: Tested positive for opiatesDate: 4/2/2010I have a chronic lung infection so I have an as needed generic form of hycodan, tessalon pearls and my inhalation treatments and ativan to counter react the medications. My lungs began to act up. So in order to continue to work, I took my medicine, they pulled a random urine test on me. I let them know what I was on. All seemed ok. Spent a week in the hospital right after the test due to my condition. The results came back and I tested positive for opiates, which I figured I would due to the hycodan syrup I told them I took. Sent over my RX and now I am being told that, it's the wrong RX, they are looking for something with codeine in it? I was even asked if the script was legit? Really?
Brady

AskDocWeb: Unfortunately with drug screens, if the result shows positive, people are often treated as if they are guilty until proven innocent with a GC/MS confirmation test. We don't know what they are looking for but you don't have to guess. Just send or have your pharmacy fax all your prescriptions to them. Keep in mind that if you don't contest the results of a urine drug screen then drug abuse may become a part of your medical records.